Community Connection Cards

a tool for strengthening community relationships

developed by Ryan Gilliam / FABnyc
and Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani / Buscada

supported by NOCD-NY’s Cultivating Neighborhood Networks project and the Mellon Foundation

“Community means a multitude of things. Organizations sometimes think of their communities as encompassing those who are similar to themselves in one way or another; they think of the community whose needs drive their work—sometimes they also think of these people as their audiences, their publics, their constituents. Sometimes they think about the power in gathering their people together.

Yet everyone is also surrounded by other people and other organizations. None of us is neutral in the places we are in; both taking part and not taking part have real impacts, especially in gentrifying neighborhoods. We have responsibilities to the people around us; connecting as neighbors is part of the sustainability of places and organizations.

How do we prioritize community relationships in place, in addition to our relationships with our many other communities and publics? Relationships in community are like other relationships; they require trust, time, mutuality. There are many guidelines for building community, but too often these are too general; the only way to do this work is to get specific, and to practice. These cards help you do just that.”

– Ryan Gilliam, Fourth Arts Block (FAB)
– Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani, Buscada

The Community Connection Cards provide pragmatic pathways for reflecting on and deepening relationships in order to strengthen connection, build equity, and thoughtfully expand as an inclusive community.

 

 

Interested in having your own deck?
Or hosting a workshop to strengthen your team’s community relationships?
Contact Ryan (ryan@fabnyc.org) for more details on either.